The 5 benefits of buying organic food

In recent years there has been a growing interest in how the food we eat has been produced. Its good a few years ago in almost none of the large supermarket chains there were hardly any organic products, now there are practically none that do not have a specialized section.

Obviously if these companies offer these products it is because there is demand, but does it make sense to spend the money on this type of food? Why is it good for our body? In this article we will see what are the benefits of buying organic food.

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The 5 benefits associated with buying organic food

Beyond that it is good for health, many people do not know all the benefits associated with buying organic food. As we will see, there are benefits at the individual level but also at the social and planetary level.

Most of these reasons indirectly attribute well-being to us, making the recognition of its value more difficult. By not dealing with tangible benefits and not serving the interests of large corporations, it is more difficult for consumers to take them into account. In any case, we will review them below.

1. More nutritional properties

Organic foods have a much higher contribution in micronutrients compared to foods produced extensively. Buying organic food has advantages at the level of benefits to our health.

It is well proven that plant foods contain many more vitamins, minerals and substances beneficial to the human body such as antioxidants.

On the other hand, meats with the organic certificate have better properties. First of all, they do not contain traces of undesirable substances such as antibiotics or growth hormones. These substances can also act in our body, and they do not have any benefit for us or for the animal in question. They are only there so that someone in the food industry has made more money.

In addition, for the meats to have the organic meat certificate, these animals have to eat naturally and not with feed, in addition to having free space to live. This affects the morphology of their tissues, and makes them have less fat, and what they have is intramuscular.

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2. No synthetic chemicals are used

Plants and animals have their growth cycles and suffer diseases caused by fungi, parasites, etc. Huge amounts of chemicals have been used throughout the 20th century that have increased productivity, but this has sometimes come at the expense of consumer health.

Some products such as insecticides or herbicides contain potentially dangerous substances for our health. That our food reaches our plate with these substances is a danger, as they can lead to certain diseases developing in our body.

Organic food is guaranteed not to use synthetic chemicals. The most essential and natural of all are used, and in very controlled quantities. The controls in this type of regulation are very strict, and as having the organic product label is an added value, the producers take great care of it.

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3. Environmental care

The fact that organic food has not been produced using synthetic chemicals is the key to protecting the environment. The reason is that the substances you can use are biodegradable, so they protect the territory.

Furthermore, biodegradable substances are not like most plastics and heavy metals in the sense that they do not enter the food chain. This is a very high impact for living beings, among which we include ourselves. That is, if we eat a plant or animal that contains any of these substances, it will remain in our body over the years.

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4. The dignity of animals

Both in the meat industry and in fish farms we seek to obtain the maximum possible performance; lowering production costs is generally detrimental to the quality of life of the living being in question.

The worst case is that of mammals such as cows, pigs, rabbits, sheep, etc. These animals have feelings, just like a dog can have. But contrary to what happens with our pets, we cram them and make them live in often deplorable conditions.

Antibiotics or growth hormones are substances of habitual consumption for these animals, who spend their lives locked up their entire lives. Some even suffer from diseases like tumors, but they still end up on the supermarket shelves.

On the contrary, the production of organic meat sets very rigid standards regarding the living conditions of the animal. The food and the square meters available for free movement are highly regulated, but also its growth time, which is longer than that of animals in the meat industry.

Eggs are another product of animal origin where these regulations have implications. In Europe there are by law 4 categories of eggs available in food establishments. Category 0 indicates that the hen has lived in the best of conditions, while category 3 means that the controls are almost non-existent. You have probably lived in crowded conditions, eating feed, and with a light on 24 hours a day.

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5. Dignity for the work that producers

Ranchers, shepherds, farmers,... all of them perform a crucial job for society. However, they are generally subjected to not very good conditions by large companies that buy their raw material.

On the other hand, in conventional agriculture the use of pesticides, herbicides and insecticides is widespread. There are many cases in which these people suffer health problems, and instead buying organic food this situation can be reversed

Producing organic food means that producers have better possibilities so that their remuneration is higher, although it is not a guarantee either. On the other hand, by not having to use synthetic chemicals, the health of producers is not potentially harmed in the generation of cancers and other diseases.

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Bibliographic references

• Crinnion, W. J. (2010). Organic Foods Contain Higher Levels of Certain Nutrients, Lower Levels of Pesticides, and May Provide Health Benefits for the Consumer. Alternative Medicine Review, 15 (1), 4-12.

• Jardine, C., Hrudey. S., Shortreed J., Craig, L., Krewski, D., Frugal C., and McColl, S. (2003). Risk Management Frameworks for Human and Environmental Risks. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev, 6 (6), 569-720.

• Martina. (2013). Eat to be better. Barcelona: Grijalbo.

• Williams, C. (2002). Nutritional quality of organic food: shade of gray or shades of green.. Proceedings of the Nutrition society, 61, 19-24.